engineering

StonePath Engineering launching event for engineering, product design community

StonePath Engineering, a startup company using consulting and training to help firmware engineering teams grow in Iowa, is holding its inaugural Hardware Hangout event on Nov. 7 to help connect professionals in the electronics, engineering and product design fields. Attendees can exchange advice and expertise and are invited to bring a project to share. Industry professionals as well as supporters of the industry or those looking to hire from the

Researchers develop novel process to study how trees affect building temperatures, air flow

Researchers at Iowa State University have developed a model to test how shading and air flow can improve indoor temperatures during the sweltering heat of Midwestern summers, reports Iowa State University’s press office. New research lead by ISU associate professor of architecture Ulrike Passe shows the effects of tree shading and evapotranspiration on building temperatures during extreme heat. Passe’s research group Sustainable Cities recently presented their findings at the Comfort

Iowa startup optimizing air flow at Empire State Building

Coralville-based Innovas Technologies will deploy its automatic tube cleaning technology at the Empire State Building in New York City, reports the Corridor Business Journal. Innovas’ Helios Tube Cleaning System is installed on water-cooled chillers and keeps the tubes clean without intervention. The technology translates to an average 10 percent energy efficiency improvement for generating air condition in large buildings.

‘Cobot’ showcase introduces Ramco clients to collaborative robotics

It is not so surprising to see the descendant of iRobot’s Roomba roaming the floor of a collaborative robotics showcase. Yet the Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle (AIV) – and the seven other fixed, collaborative and mobile robots showcased by Omron on April 4 – show how far industrial robots are coming on the facility grounds. “[The Roomba] wasn’t preloaded” to understand the boundaries of the room it was working in, Omron

Ag Startup Engine announces $50k investment in ClearFlame Engines

Ag Startup Engine at the Iowa State University Research Park has announced an initial seed investment of $50,000 in Chicago-based ClearFlame Engines – a company integrating low-carbon alternative fuels into diesel engines uses a high-temperature combustion process. ClearFlame Engines is the first company outside of Iowa to join the Ag Startup Engine Fund portfolio, which includes Performance Livestock Analytics, Nebullam, Gross-Wen Technologies, Smart Ag, FarmlandFinder, Tractor Zoom, Automed and LEAH

The stinky business of catching porch pirates

Holiday porch thieves: beware, or at least refrain from stealing at an engineer’s house. Former NASA engineer Mark Rober was told by police they couldn’t do anything to track down the package stolen on security footage from his own porch, so Rober, who already has a popular YouTube channel, decided to over-engineer his revenge with an innocuous package, glitter, fart spray, wide-angle cameras and GPS tracking. The video of cold-blooded

Electronic Engineering announces $20,000 equipment donation, work-study program with DMACC

Wireless communications company Electronic Engineering announced a donation of $20,000 in communications equipment and a work-study/tuition assistance program for students at Des Moines Area Community College with interest in electronic engineering, radio communications and robotics specializations. The work-study program will provide on-the-job experience for students with compensation for work, and funding assistance toward their education at DMACC, Electronic Engineering officials said.

UI receives ‘transformational’ biomedical engineering grant

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust has committed $12 million to fund research in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering, reports the Corridor Business Journal. The grant brings the Carver Charitable Trust’s total giving toward the UI department to $15 million; pending approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, the department plans to rename as the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Boeing commits $6M to ISU Student Innovation Center

Boeing made a $6 million commitment to Iowa State University, with a “significant portion” dedicated to the construction of the upcoming Student Innovation Center, ISU announced this morning. Announced in January 2017, the approximately 140,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in January 2020 and will provide space for student laboratory projects and classes in STEM-related fields. Boeing will also provide an unspecified amount in financial support for students participating